THE PORNOGRAPHER DIARIES: THE PLAY
DANNY KING

Published by DMKing Publishing, 2007.

Godfrey Bishop’s got the best job in the world – and it’s doing his f***ing head in.

Godfrey Bishop works for a soft porn magazine. He talks to the models, he reads hundreds of filthy letters, he organises the photoshoots and even gets to direct the nudey action. He has, according to his friends, "the best job in the world".

But the job of his dreams becomes the stuff of nightmares when he goes through the sex drought to end all sex droughts and his daily grind soon starts to grind him down.

Based on the novel of the same name, which was published by Serpent’s Tail in 2004, this minimalist stage show is more a continuous conversation with the audience rather than a traditional ‘stage play’. One actor plays Godfrey, while another actor and actress play all the other male and female parts, as Godfrey’s life is played out for the audience.

This stage show performed at the C Venues during the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival to mixed acclaim (see reviews below). It starred Gary Beadle, Jessica Harris and David Squire and was Produced by Have A Word Productions and Directed by Kate McCarthy. Assisted by Sara Watts.

Duration:65-70 minutes.

Length:86 pages

Dimensions:4.25in x 6.75in (pocket-sized book)

Price:£5 (printed)

Download:£2

Gary Beadle 'hard at work' in The Pornographer Diaries stage play.

From left to right: Kate McCarthy, me, David Swire, Jessica Harris and Gary Beadle

Press reviews:

“maintains the pace and energy of the book... but it is hardly a great intellectual debate from King"
- The Stage

“too crude to be of much value"
- The Times

“surface and shallow"
- Fringe Blogger, US

“rude, nude and crude... entertains and succeeds despite its subject content"
- edinburgh.threeweeks.co.uk

“doesn't really tackle this difficult and controversial subject head on... [but watching a woman in the audience who] looked just like Mary Whitehouse chortle along to every cock, tit and fanny was worth the admission price alone"
- Broadway Baby

 

Tone: The show is meant to be an un-PC farce intended to make the audience titter and laugh, rather than tackle any weighty or serious issues. Amusingly, most ‘professional critics’ seemed to miss this point (as you can see from the above reviews) despite sitting in an auditorium full of juvenile chuckling. The following are some audience responses to The Times’s two star review.

 

Audience responses:

“Your [Robert Dawson Scott of The Times] review is a bit harsh. This is the best thing I’ve seen so far. The audience was great the night I went and Gary's (EastEnder's Paul) performance was brilliant. Perfect for Edinburgh, captures the atmosphere. Don't miss it.”
- Kate Williams, London, England

“Great show, very funny. The best thing I have seen at Edinburgh so far.”
- Andy Craig, London

“I agree with Kate, why only two stars? This play is a comedy, it's about some interesting subjects, well worth analysing – the lamentable progress of pornography to become acceptable and even mainstream – but it is written for laughs and the audience loved it belly laughing throughout. I think that your review should concentrate on how funny this play is and conclude with whether it succeeds in making those of us who paid for a ticket feel like we got a good chuckle and our monies worth (I certainly did). I’d just like to add that I love plays where two or three people play all the characters such as The Pornographer Diaries or Stones in His Pockets. I don't know if this is done because of a tight budget but if the actors are good enough the results are hilarious and a delight to watch. Well done especially to Jessica Harris who does every female character. A riot, great laughs to be had.”
- hobart paving, Leeds, UK

 

Purchase: To buy a copy of the printed and bound play go to www.lulu.com/content/1221167. It costs £5 per copy, plus £2.75 for postage and packaging and can take up to three weeks to arrive, as it has to come all the way from America. Also, please note, it is only 86 pages long and £7.75 is a lot of money for a book this size, so please ensure you are either an ardent fan or an eccentric millionaire before purchasing.